Castro, Clinton meet in California Saturday

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Mayor Julián Castro met for the first time Saturday in Los Angeles. Castro posted this photo to his Facebook page.

It’s the stuff of Democrats’ 2016 dreams.

Mayor Julián Castro and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton met for the first time Saturday in Los Angeles, where Clinton was honored for her “role in inspiring the creation of the Mexican American Leadership Initiative, a group of prominent Latinos who support philanthropic projects in Mexico and promote what Clinton called ‘a shared future’ between the two nations,” the Washington Post reported.

The meeting — memorialized in a photo on Castro’s Facebook page, captioned simply “Today in Los Angeles” — sparked comments from Clinton/Castro daydreamers on the social media site. More than 4,100 people had liked the post at 8:30 p.m., Saturday.

The most frequently asked-and-answered question for the mayor (aside from identifying himself from his identical twin) is whether he is considering a run for higher office, following his Democratic National Convention keynote speech in 2012. Perhaps a run for president? Perhaps as a vice presidential running mate? Perhaps in 2016?

Castro insists it’s not in his political plans. Not even if Clinton/Castro Twitter handles, hashtags, bumper stickers and Internet memes give (probably false) hope to supporters. Not even if party leaders and poll numbers suggest he actually may have a shot.

The America’s Voice/Latino Decisions 2016 Presidential Survey, which polled 1,200 Latino presidential election voters and published this summer, showed significant favorability for Castro, who is in his third term as mayor.

“It’s flattering talk, but that’s all it is — talk,” Castro told the Express-News in a July 3 article. “I don’t want to play the speculation game. There’s not a person in America who can predict what’s going to happen in 2016.”

Castro spoke Friday in Chicago at a Latino Policy Forum breakfast, where he told supporters that he would likely seek a statewide office as a political next-step.

Castro’s office told NBC Latino that the comments weren’t a detour from the mayor’s usual comments on the issue. Jaime Castillo, the mayor’s spokesman, said the mayor told him he had said what he usually says, the news site reported. Something along the lines of “I’ll take a look around and see what’s available statewide.”

Still, it will be difficult for Democrats — hoping to capture the coveted Latino vote and keep the White House in 2016 — to give up the fight. Castro’s beaming smile in the photo with Clinton Saturday suggests he, at least, shares their enthusiasm — for Clinton.